{"product_id":"elves-in-anglo-saxon-england","title":"Elves in Anglo-Saxon England","description":"Elves and elf-belief during the Anglo-Saxon period are reassessed in this lively and provocative study.\n\nAnglo-Saxon elves [Old English ælfe] are one of the best attested non-Christian beliefs in early medieval Europe, but current interpretations of the evidence derive directly from outdated nineteenth- and early twentieth-century scholarship. Integrating linguistic and textual approaches into an anthropologically-inspired framework, this book reassesses the full range of evidence. It traces continuities and changes in medieval non-Christian beliefs with a new degree of reliability, from pre-conversion times to the eleventh century and beyond, and uses comparative material from medieval Ireland and Scandinavia to argue for a dynamic relationship between beliefs and society. Inparticular, it interprets the cultural significance of elves as a cause of illness in medical texts, and provides new insights into the much-discussed Scandinavian magic of seidr. Elf-beliefs, moreover, were connected with Anglo-Saxon constructions of sex and gender; their changing nature provides a rare insight into a fascinating area of early medieval European culture.\n\n Shortlisted for the Katharine Briggs Folklore Award 2007","brand":"Boydell \u0026 Brewer Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54251345740120,"sku":"9781843835097","price":31.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0278\/1295\/4195\/files\/9781843835097.jpg?v=1777047359","url":"https:\/\/agendabookshop.com\/products\/elves-in-anglo-saxon-england","provider":"Agenda Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}